Simply put, SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is optimizing your website so it comes up in the top 10 or so spots of Google organically (non-paid for specific keywords, questions, or phrases related to your business and what you offer. One of the coolest things to hear when you ask, “How did you hear about me?” is “I Googled you”. Obviously, that means that your SEO is working!
Google Owns Search
Google has close to 87% of North American searches. If you follow Google’s rules, you’ll get picked up by the other search engines. If you look at your website stats, you’ll see that a good majority of your visitors will be coming from the search engines, and it’s mostly Google.
Google, with its algorithm updates, brings up the freshest, most relevant, and most useful content written for the human reader in natural language that matches what the searcher entered into the search box. It’s up to you to create content so that you’ll appear when someone searches for what you have to offer.
However, with the newly exalted AI Search Bots, SEO is not dead; it’s just EVOLVING.
Why is SEO Important?
- Organic Search, that is unpaid, is usually the main driver of traffic to your website.
- In 2026, Google processes between 8.5 billion and 16.4 billion searches each day globally. (Source) In other words, there’s a lot of competition for your target market’s attention.
- In 2026, 77.2% of mobile searches and 46.5% to 50.6% of desktop searches on Google result in zero clicks. (Source) Additionally, the new AI Overviews bring what’s called “Zero Click” search results. In other words, people ask a question and get their answer without having to visit a website. However, there is brand recognition here.
- Good SEO helps you increase conversions and sales!
- You can be sure that your competitors are using it. (I can do some research and find out for you.)
- Proper SEO is more cost-effective in the long run.
- Local SEO and a properly set up Google Business Profile (GBP) help your brick-and-mortar business come up in Google Maps.
- You build trust and credibility with your customers.
- Google Reviews play a huge factor!
Elements of Effective SEO
- On-Page SEO – the optimization of each page and blog post on your website.
- If you have an ecommerce store, is each product description optimized?
- This includes meta descriptions: what the searcher sees in the SERP (Search Engine Results Page) that entices them to click through to your website.
- SEO Copywriting: Writing for your target audience with the search engine and AI answer bot in mind. This goes for static pages, e-commerce product listings, and blogs!
- Blog consistently to give Google and the AI answer bots the fresh content it’s looking for. How often?
- Off-Page SEO: This is your content marketing strategy, including social media marketing, which plays a crucial role.
- Information should be consistent throughout your social media profiles, GBP, and your website.
- Optimize your social media profiles. They have powerful search engines, too!
- It all starts with SEO Keyword Research: You need to know what YOUR potential customers are searching for so that you’ll come up in search.
Give Google what it wants and you’ll get on the top 10 spots of their SERP (Search Engine Results Page).
What about Google Core Web Vitals?
Google ranks websites by the User Experience (UX) or Page Experience on a mobile device. Additionally, the AI bots need a fast-loading website. They won’t wait around. They’ll go find the information they need elsewhere. More than likely, one of your competitors. Likewise, so will your potential customers. This is vital if more than 35% of your website visitors are on mobile devices. Your Google Analytics will tell you this.
Learn about it here. Test your site here. If you score under 60, you need to seriously look at what’s affecting that low score. It could be graphics, it could be the backend code, or plugins. What’s nice is the test tells you exactly what is wrong and how to fix it.
Recently, one of my clients scored a failing 38. With just 2 minor tweaks to the mobile site, I swapped the numbers to an 83!
If you failed or barely passed the Core Web Vitals test, then please schedule a free 15-minute consult so I can review the results with you and best guide you on how to improve the score.
What About Competition?
Ah, here’s the challenging part. For instance, if you’re in health and wellness, you’re competing with WebMD, which has a deal with Google to come up first no matter what symptom or medical ailment question a searcher asks. If you sell something, you’re up against Amazon. The trick is to come up right under these big guys in the ORGANIC search results.
Now, you want to be in the top 10 or so slots. Who is landing in the spots above you? What are they doing differently? And now you have Google’s AI Overviews to deal with! What about the AI answer bots?
Nevertheless, there is a trick to beating the competition for those coveted top 10 slots on Google, and that’s where good SEO copywriting comes in.
I can help you rank higher on Google!
The AI Overviews need to get their information from somewhere! That’s where your weekly blogging comes in! I offer a free 15-minute discovery call and analysis of your website, blog, SEO, and social media efforts. Furthermore, we can brainstorm as to how you can improve your digital marketing results.
